Blog – Page 9 – Center for Effective Lawmaking

Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

Are Workers Effective Lawmakers?

Are Workers Effective Lawmakers? Throughout the country's history, some politicians and elites have argued that white-collar Americans are more qualified than working-class Americans to govern. To date, however, relatively little is known about the legislative effectiveness of working-class lawmakers. To address this knowledge gap, Jacob M. Lollis, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, creates a data set merging the occupational background of over 14,000 individual state legislators with their state legislative effectiveness score (SLES) as designed by the CEL. He finds that working-class…

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May 10, 2023

Events

CEL presents to LEGIS Congressional Fellows

CEL presents to LEGIS Congressional Fellows On March 24, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) gave a presentation to the LEGIS Congressional Fellowship program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. The LEGIS program is composed of a bipartisan group of professionals from government agencies selected by offices in both chambers of Congress to learn about the lawmaking process and serve as subject-matter policy experts for legislators. CEL Co-Directors Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman started the presentation by highlighting the Legislative Effectiveness Scores, or LES (recently updated for the 117th…

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April 4, 2023

Legislative Effectiveness Scores / Policy Scores

Highlights from the New 117th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores

Highlights from the New 117th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores By Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, Co-Directors, Center for Effective LawmakingThe Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce the release of the Legislative Effectiveness Scores (LES) for the recently completed 117th Congress (2021-23). As in all previous releases, the scores are based on the combination of fifteen metrics regarding the bills that each member of Congress sponsors, how far they move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their policy proposals are. The scores are normalized to an average…

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March 20, 2023

Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

Deployed to the Hill: How Military Experience Influences Legislative Behavior in Congress

Deployed to the Hill: How Military Experience Influences Legislative Behavior in Congress Military service is often touted as an important benefit for legislating in Congress. With fewer military veterans serving in Congress, candidates with military experience and their supporters often argue that electing more veterans will help reduce legislative dysfunction and gridlock. Are veteran legislators more effective lawmakers than those who have not served in the military? Are they more bipartisan in their legislative activities? Major Joseph Amoroso, an Instructor of American Politics at the United States Military Academy at…

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March 1, 2023

Events

Tools for Effective Lawmaking

Tools for Effective Lawmaking Last Friday, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) hosted a forum for congressional staffers at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. titled “Tools for Effective Lawmaking.” The purpose of the event was to provide attendees with an overview of the CEL, its mission, and its research-driven best practices for effective lawmaking in Congress; and to make staffers aware of other valuable resources that they might draw on in their jobs. In addition to the CEL Co-Directors Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman (who moderated), the…

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February 9, 2023

Board of Advisors

Tom Wickham: A Guide to the Major Issues on Congress’s Opening Day

Tom Wickham: A Guide to the Major Issues on Congress’s Opening Day As the 118th Congress gets underway, the Center for Effective Lawmaking is taking the opportunity to present insights from Tom Wickham, Senior Vice President of state and local policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; he is also a Member of our Advisory Board. Previously, he was the Parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served in the Parliamentarian’s Office for 25 years, and helped referee 14 different elections for Speaker and advised on all aspects…

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January 2, 2023

About the CEL

2022: A Year in Review

2022: A Year in Review As 2022 draws to a close, we at the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) wanted to take the time to reflect on our accomplishments and what lies ahead in the new year, as well as to thank you for your contributions to the CEL. We are proud to present the Center for Effective Lawmaking Annual Report for 2021-2022. Here you will see highlights from the last academic year, including: Hosting our 3rd and 4th Annual Research Conferences, as well as the respective recipients of the…

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December 19, 2022

Conversations with Lawmakers / Events / Video

Success in the States: How Outstanding State Lawmakers Lead and Govern

Success in the States: How Outstanding State Lawmakers Lead and Govern On Monday, December 12, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), along with the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, Lyceum Labs, and the Millennial Action Project (MAP), cohosted the event "Success in the States: How Outstanding State Lawmakers Lead and Govern" in Washington, DC. The forum brought together a bipartisan group of state lawmakers and nonprofit leaders dedicated to supporting better political leadership in the U.S. to reflect on the issues at stake for our democracy. The participants spoke about their experiences and research, and provided valuable insights into how…

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December 15, 2022

About the CEL / Board of Advisors

Meet our new Advisory Board Member: Congressman Tom Davis

Meet our new Advisory Board Member: Congressman Tom Davis The Center for Effective Lawmaking is excited to welcome Congressman Tom Davis to our Board of Advisors. Davis served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1995-2008. He served as chairman of both the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he led a number of high-profile investigations, and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). When he joined Congress, he was the first freshman representative in 50 years to hold a subcommittee chairmanship, taking the gavel of the…

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November 17, 2022

Events

Inside the Stennis Center Retreat

Inside the Stennis Center Retreat Last week, the Center for Effective Lawmaking co-hosted a retreat with the Stennis Center for Public Service, a federal, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to provide a variety of public service programs and development opportunities. The purpose of the retreat was to commemorate the Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows Program, a bipartisan, bicameral leadership development program for senior-level staff members of Congress, which was concluding the two-year program for the cohort who served during the 117th Congress. Taking place in Charlottesville with…

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October 26, 2022